


Dreams are for those who Sleep

by LillyOfTheValley



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5353784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillyOfTheValley/pseuds/LillyOfTheValley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A traumatized Regina gets shipped off to a boarding school in England. There she meets Robin who she's sure is either her saving grace or downfall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreams are for those who Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on FFnet but I like Ao3 better

Dreams Are For Those Who Sleep

Chapter One

"When will it end?" She asks and he tightens his lips. She waits for his answer while he studies her face. She's annoyed. She knows she looks terrible. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot from all the crying. The tip of her nose red and blotchy and her hair disheveled because she doesn't care anymore. She looks pass him at the beige walls trying to prolong the impending panic attack. She's forced to relive that night every week, doesn't know why they call it therapy, nothing therapeutic about it.

Archie scribbles something on his clipboard then looks up again. "You have to give it time Regina. It's only been four months. These things take time; you have to let yourself heal."

No amount of time could help her, she's sure of it. She spends her nights crying and her days trying not to cry. "How the hell can I heal when his murderer sits across from me every morning at breakfast?" She snaps awaiting the response she always gets.

"Regina-this delusion that your mother killed Daniel, it has to stop. She may not have liked you dating the ranch help but that doesn't mean she killed him. These accusations, it has to stop what you think you saw-"

"Shut up, just shut the fuck up. I know what I saw. She stabbed him through the heart right in front of me. How much is she paying you Archie? To make me think I'm crazy." Her chest tightens and she's taken back to that night. Cora had her held over night in a mental institution just to save face. She wouldn't stop accusing her mother but nobody believed her. Not the police, not even her father. She remembers flailing arms and clawing at anything and everything in her reach. She remembers bawling until she vocal cords gave out. She remembers her blood stained hands and the gaping hole in her chest yet to heal.

"Regina the medical examiner ruled Daniel's death an accident. He slipped, impaled himself-"

"Stop fucking lying." She holds her face in her palms. She's even questioned her own sanity a couple of times. No matter how sure she was about the events that happened that night there's still moments of doubt when she questions if she really did dream it all up. Then Daniel's agonizing cries ring in her ears, sees the sheer pain on his face as her mother plunged those garden shears through his chest. She's not crazy, not yet anyway. If they keep pushing her her sanity will become a distant memory.

"I've been talking with your mom. You staying on the estate where it happened, it's not healthy. A change of scenery will do you good."

"What?"

"I recommended a school to your mom. In England."

"What did you just say?" Her ears feel like they're physically on fire. It's happening again. Her chest constricts and she isn't sure if she wants to cry or vomit.

"You leave at the end of the week. It's a good environment, they specialize with fragile students like yourself."

"She's sending me away." Shallow breathing comes after, but she inhales deeply delaying the panic attack for only a few moments. "Why? Nobody I talk to believes me anyway. They're either on her payroll or think I'm crazy. I'll stop talking about it I promise. Please don't send me away."

"I'm sorry Regina but the decision has been made. You're already enrolled."

Tears stream freely down her cheeks; she clenches at her chest as the pain ripples through her chest. She hunches over the couch and sobs until she's gasping for air.

"Regina please." Archie reaches over to the couch but she flinches and dodges his hand.

"Don't touch me." She screams. The bile climbs up her throat too quickly, she retches and vomits on the expensive rug at her feet. The acid burns her throat but it doesn't compare to the internal turmoil she's been living with since Daniel's death.

"When will it end." She sobs.

Robin and Will run through the halls of Gregoire Academy praying they won't be seen by any teachers as they were supposed to be in Algebra. Sneaking around the school had become considerably easier since they removed half the security cameras from campus. One student had been caught on camera doing something illicit and parents had raged on that they were invading the privacy of the student. Robin gives Will the go ahead as they reach forbidden territory, the girls dorm. Just being found there could get them expelled but they'd learned a safe route by their second semester.

Moving on dumb luck they went up the stairs and through the open door to find Anastasia pacing her small dorm room wearing a deep frown.

"Got ya message love, what the hell is up?" Will asks.

She points to the empty bed at the far side of the room. "That is what the hell is up."

"The bed?" Will whispers to Robin who only shrugs.

"I'm getting a roommate today. I have no control over who I'll be sharing a room with. With this school's rep she could be a bloody psycho for all I know."

"Relax Ana, you scared us with that text message can't believe this is the emergency."

"This is an emergency; I haven't had a roommate since Alice had her break down. Now I have to deal with some...American."

"American?" Robin asks now interested.

Anastasia nods. "Mills from Maine." She pointed to the luggage that had been shipped at the foot of the bed. Robin touched the tag and it confirmed Ana's words.

"She must have fucked up big time to get shipped all the way here." Will says.

"Can we please figure out what I'm going to do about this situation."

"She could be harmless." Robin says. "How about this, give her a chance when she gets here. If it's a problem, then we find a way out but until then..."

"Oh please darlings, you two are my best friends and on most days I don't get along with you much less some….yank." Her face contorts with disgusts and Robin rolls his eyes at her theatrics. Why he befriended the biggest drama queen he'd never know.

"I'm not listening to any more of this Ana." Robin says as he leaves Ana and Will alone. He wastes plenty time on his way to Algebra. His slow pace and the long route he chooses takes him pass the courtyard. It's there that he sees her, like some kind of dream. Dark hair, fair skin and a pair of brown eyes he was unlikely to forget. For a moment she looks up and he swears he's never seen anything more beautiful. It lasts only a moment before her heads bows and she's whisked away by the headmaster. Her very presence was indelible and stole the breath right of his lungs. His feet were moving to follow before coherent thought even caught up. Interrupting his daze is Will's hand on his shoulder. Robin snaps his head to his friend behind him.

"Algebra is this way mate. What's gotten into you?" Will snaps his fingers in front of Robin's face until he swats Will's hand away.

"Nothing." He mumbles but it couldn't be further from the truth.

Regina has been on autopilot since she got on the plane. She's not entirely sure how she's even functioning when on the inside all she wants to do is rock quietly in a dark corner. She walks up the steps at the front of the school with her black tote bag. She doubts this school will do her any good but a weight had been lifted off her chest since she left Cora behind. She no longer felt safe in her own house. Leaving Maine doesn't change what happened though, she's still walking around guilt ridden. She goes to the courtyard where she was told to wait. It's there she feels the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She can feel his eyes on her, it's unnerving and flattering at the same time. She doesn't see much, he's at a vantage point. She only makes out his navy blue blazer and the dirty blonde color of his hair. She thinks he'll stare all day when she hears her name and puts him in the back of her head.

"Regina Mills?" She looks up at the voice that said her name.

"Mr. Gold. Headmaster at this fine institution. Your mother insisted I made sure you arrive personally." Regina stares blankly at him. She hasn't spoken in days; she thinks she's forgotten how to by now.

"Come with me to pick up your schedule, uniforms and room assignment, promise I won't be too long I'll let you go get settled."

She follows silently behind but not before looking back to see if he was still staring.

The school is nothing short of a prison. Towering barbed walls an angry shade of grey surrounded the school. She wouldn't be surprised if the fence would electrocute her the moment she tried to escape.

She went through the motions of orientation there only physically but her mind somewhere miles away if not in another universe. She was finally pardoned around midday and sent to her dorm room. She scrutinizes her roommate's side of the room. She has an affinity for the color red it seemed.

She drops her bag on the bed and plops down next to it unsure of what she should do now. She doesn't have any classes, no friends either. She changes into flats, braids her hair and goes about exploring her new surroundings. She dodges other students in the halls and ignores their looks. She looks like she doesn't know where she's going and she's out of uniform. She was never one for subtlety anyway.

"Are you lost?" A warm voice asks from behind her. She spins to meet his blue eyes. "You're new right?" He speaks casually but he looks at her like she's a piece of art. She doesn't like how it makes her insides feel. Daniel was rotting six-feet under and here she was getting butterflies from blue eyes. She turns on her heels and goes through the nearest door to get away from him. She finds herself in the cafeteria, it's only when she smells warm food her stomach grumbles and she realizes she hasn't eaten since the plane. She takes a tray and falls into the line. Once her tray is filled with potatoes, a pudding cup and an apple she finds an empty table.

"So what's your damage?" A boy holding an identical tray asks before she can shovel potatoes unto her fork.

"Well you are here at 'Troubled Academy' that means your parents could afford to ship you off when you made a mess too big for them to clean. So what's your damage? Klepto like Robin? Mental like Ana- what is it?"

"Fuck off Will." She looks up when blue eyes approaches them. Not him again. She's just about ready to bolt when Will picks up the apple from her tray and takes a bite. She's not sure why that of all things sets her off but it does. She's on her feet too quickly for him to anticipate her. She swats his tray right out of his hands. The noise echoes through the cafeteria. The buzz of chatter dies down and everyone's attention is directed to Regina and Will.

"I hope you choke on it." She brushes pass blue eyes and only when she's out of the cafeteria does she realize she had spoken. She touches her throat the same time she feels another panic attack coming on. She makes it to the bathroom but only to the sink. She heaves for a few minutes. She doesn't think there's anything left in her stomach. She walks back to her room, slow strides to combat the dizziness. She gets lost twice before she enters the dorm. She curls up on her bed in a fetal position and cries until exhaustion takes over and she blacks out.

When she stirs awake it's well into the night. There's no light except for a lamp and the glow of a phone's screen coming from the other side of the room. She sits up and hisses slightly at a throbbing in her head. She manages to sit up and the fleece she doesn't remember covering herself with falls to her waist.

"Another hour and I'd think you were dead."

She hears from other side of the room. She hears soft footsteps then the light turns on. She realizes then that the fleece is red and clearly belongs to the blonde.

"I'm Anastasia. You're roommate. Don't get used to this darling I'm only being nice because that barbarian from earlier is my- never mind what he is. I took your supper for and some potatoes from the lunch that you misses. She sets the tray next to Regina on the bed.

"Thank you." Regina says grateful. Anastasia is the first person she can bear to be around since Daniel. She's not overly talkative and seems to respect her personal space. The blonde retreats to the other side of the room. She sits on her bed cross legged and brushes her hair while staring at Regina curiously.

Regina waits with bated breath for the impending question about why she's been crying or what she's really doing transferring school mid semester.

"So what's it like over there? I've never really left home before."

She's relaxes when she hears the question and continues to eat.

"Don't look so relieved not everyone around here is as nosy as Will. Everyone comes to Gregoire with a few skeletons I know you see it as a prison now but just wait. You'll find out real soon troubled academy is our only sanctuary."

Regina sticks the fork into her potatoes and gives it a twirl. She looks up at Anastasia who's now laying on her bed facing Regina.

"My mother, she's a crazy bitch that's why I'm here." It's all she can manage to reveal not that she owes Anastasia any explanation but the girl has been nice to her thus far.

The girl smiles. "How about that. Me too. Stick with me you just might survive this place dear I say even thrive."


End file.
